In the news today: Support for steel, pipeline promises and their pitfalls, AI toys

Steel imports from countries where Canada does not have a free-trade agreement will be lowered from 50 per cent to 20 per cent of 2024 levels.

The government also plans to work with CN Rail to cut freight rates by 50 per cent when shipping steel interprovincially.

The official said Ottawa will subsidize the difference if CN can’t oblige a lower rate.

Hodgson to brief B.C. Liberal MPs on Alberta deal

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson is set to brief B.C. Liberal MPs today on the government’s expected energy deal with the province of Alberta.

The move comes after B.C. Liberal MPs last week said any deal involving a pipeline to the West Coast would need consent from First Nations and the B.C. government, repeating talking points from the government in recent weeks.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday in the House of Commons that B.C. “has to agree” to any pipeline being built to the Pacific coast.

Concerns have been raised from B.C. this week about how the deal is shaping up, with Premier David Eby saying it was “unacceptable” that Ottawa and Alberta were negotiating a potential pipeline through his province without involving his government.

Women gaining ground in venture capital: study

A new survey suggests diversity is increasing across Canada’s venture capital and private equity landscape.

Research from the Business Development Bank of Canada found that 88 per cent of general partners had at least one woman on their investment committees last year. That was up from 63 per cent in 2021.

Seventy-six per cent of general partners reported at least one person of a visible minority on their investment committees, up from 55 per cent in 2021.

General partners manage venture capital and private equity funds and thus, oversee teams that make investment decisions. BDC surveyed 68 general partners and more than 550 portfolio companies over the winter for its report, though that makes up a small portion of Canada’s funding landscape.

Teen’s suicide spurs call for medical FOI reform

Maya Cassady was just two months away from graduating high school with honours when she obtained her mental health records through a freedom of information request.

Just hours after reading the contents, which included doctors’ ponderings about a diagnosis, the 17-year-old took her own life.

It was March 30, 2023. Since Maya’s death, her mother, Hilary Cassady, has become an advocate for youth mental health, raising flags about young people using FOIs to access their charts — and risking misinterpreting the contents.

Cassady said she believes Maya concluded her mental health condition was untreatable, after reading terminology about her case that was never discussed with either of them.

Alberta minister to draft AI-generated legislation

The Alberta government is about to take the next logical step in artificial intelligence — using it to draft a proposed law.

Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally says the plan is to use AI to develop and introduce the Alberta Whisky Act when the house sits next spring.

“AI is a tool that is being leveraged across many sectors in Canada,” Nally said in a statement Tuesday.

“In sectors such as health care, it can be a useful tool to assist health professionals in diagnostics, helping them find abnormalities during screening procedures for patients.”

Nally said the AI-generated legislation will then be vetted to ensure all checks and balances are met.

Concerns raised about AI toys and creativity, development

As parents hunt for gifts that will wow their kids this holiday season, Canadian child development and psychology experts say they should be wary of AI-powered toys because of possible harms, ranging from privacy and security violations to interference with children’s creativity and development.

“Early childhood is a time where the developing brain is a little sponge. It’s taking everything in and it is so malleable,” said Dr. Nicole Racine, an Ottawa child psychologist and scientist at the CHEO Research Institute.

“I think about what kind of inputs do I want my kids to be having? And to be honest, it’s not the inputs of an AI algorithm,” said Racine, who also has two young children.

Her comments follow an advisory for parents issued last week from Fairplay, a U.S.-based organization aiming to protect children from potential technology harms. It was endorsed by dozens of experts, including child advocacy groups, pediatricians, educators and psychologists.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2025

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

In the news today: Support for steel, pipeline promises and their pitfalls, AI toys

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